FUNCTIONAL INGREDIENTS
Delivering on functional promises
Suzanne Callander finds out more about Candyceuticals, an innovative solution from Boncha Bio that is helping ensure optimal dosing of active ingredients in candy.
W
hen it comes to functional candy, a traditional challenge has been the delivery system of the active ingredients
themselves. The industry has, traditionally, faced the challenge of reduced bioactivity in candy and gummies. Boncha Bio, the creator of ‘Candyceuticals,’
is a biotech company based in Taiwan. It believes it has found a solution to these traditional challenges with its all-in-one solution that merges the concept of ‘candy’ with nutraceutical, featuring a candy-textured soft gel designed to contain high-dose active ingredient fillings. Its development of chocolate capsules, gum
bases, and gummies with integrated fillings gradually brought it closer to its goal of finding the most user-friendly delivery system for active ingredients. Each prototype, however, faced significant production hurdles. Gummies required high temperatures during processing, chocolate formulations were limited in flavour options, restricting the use to a limited range of active ingredients, and fillings in both forms tended to leak. These challenges finally propelled Boncha Bio to create Candyceuticals – a palatable, chewable candy capsule enriched with nutrients and designed to prevent leakage. Given that 80% of active ingredients and nutrients are sensitive to heat, oxygen, and pressure, a crucial question that needed to be addressed was how these vulnerabilities could be tackled. Boncha Bio created a proprietary production process to maintain higher bioactivity and to preserve the integrity of sensitive ingredients while also
18 Kennedy’s Confection May 2024
maximising their efficacy. Traditionally, gummies are produced at temperatures ranging from 70°C to 110°C to achieve the right fluidity and ensure minimal water content for effectively mixing active ingredients and moulding. However, these high temperatures adversely affect heat-sensitive ingredients and certain vitamins, leading to a loss in bioactivity. Most probiotics, for example, will be completely destroyed in this high-temperature process. Candyceuticals are produced at lower temperatures – around 40°C, +/- 10% This is made possible by machinery adjustments and specialised formulations. The unique, non-
jelly-like form eliminates the need for high temperatures during mixing and moulding. Furthermore, it utilises low compression shaping. This cooler production environment is beneficial for preserving heat-sensitive ingredients such as probiotics, omega-3, and vitamins. For example, 95% of probiotic CFU count is maintained post-production, as verified by third-party accredited laboratory tests.
The drying challenge
Gummies require a specific water content to remain in a liquid state for moulding. To achieve better gelatinisation, reducing water content after moulding is essential, so gummies typically
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